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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rest — what's left
  3. net — after costs
  4. pop — to visit
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pop — soda
  14. snap — to click
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. net — for catching
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lean — thin
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. net — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com